Wednesday, 12 October 2022

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of October 15-16

 Ten draws: Fulham v Bournemouth, Wolves v Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough v Blackburn, Watford v Norwich, Bolton v Barnsley, Cheltenham v Bristol Rovers, Wycombe v Peterborough, Crawley v Newport, Stockport v Grimsby, Kelty Hearts v Clyde.

Best draws: Fulham v Bournemouth, Watford v Norwich, Cheltenham v Bristol Rovers, Wycombe v Peterborough, Stockport v Grimsby.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Chelsea, Arsenal, Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth, Dundee United, Partick.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Cardiff, Reading, Sheffield United, Ipswich, Carlisle, Rochdale, Swindon, Queen's Park (Friday), Dunfermline, Elgin.

Pick of the draws: Who would have thought promoted Bournemouth would be in the top half of the Premier League after nine matches? They have not lost since Gary O'Neil was appointed caretaker manager and can maintain their unbeaten run by taking a point at Fulham, who are faltering. Norwich, who lie second in the Championship, were surprisingly beaten 3-2 at home by Preston last Saturday but Watford, their hosts, also had a bad result, losing 3-1 at Blackpool. Signs are that this one will end in stalemate. Consecutive victories by Bristol Rovers over Cambridge (2-1 at home) and Milton Keynes Dons (1-0 away) in League One should serve them well at Cheltenham, who have also moved away from the drop zone. Peterborough climbed back into the play-off positions by dismantling Forest Green 4-1 at home in midweek but Wycombe are well equipped to deny them another three points. Stockport and Grimsby recorded fine wins in League Two last weekend but I've a hunch that both will have to settle for a point after they've faced each other on Saturday.

Away days: Manager Graham Potter is already making a positive difference at Chelsea and they are favourites to get the better of Aston Villa, who continue to disappoint. Another Sunday match-up pits Leeds against in-form Arsenal, who are expected to maintain their leadership of the Premier League. After defeating Cheltenham 3-0 at home in League One last weekend, promotion conscious Sheffield Wednesday will be eager to make their mark at Cambridge, who seem to have lost their way. Plymouth deservedly top the League One table and their journey to relegation-fearing MK Dons shouldn't pose them too many problems. Dundee United have lift-off in the Scottish Premiership, thanks to successive home wins over Aberdeen (4-0) and Hibernian (1-0). I believe they'll add Ross County to their list of victims. Partick, who top the Scottish Championship, are warmly recommended at Hamilton, who crashed 5-0 at Morton last Saturday.

Homes sweet homes: Carlisle have surprised some League Two opponents recently, including Hartlepool, who were beaten 3-1 at home last Saturday. I suspect the Cumbrians will be too good for Doncaster, who have fallen below them in the table. I predict that Rochdale, second from last, will cause one of the upsets of the day when they play Barrow and register their first home win of the season. A gutsy 1-0 win at Newport last weekend suggested that Rochdale may be over the worst and that Barrow could be the next team to suffer at their hands. I'm backing Dunfermline, second in Scottish League One and convincing 3-0 conquerors at Alloa last weekend, to come out on top against leaders Edinburgh. 


                                                                                                                                                             





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